Secret Identities: American Superheroes, International Comics – San Diego ComicCon 2026
N. Scott Robinson, Ph.D. of San Diego Mesa College and Alex Grand, author of Understanding Superhero <a href="https://comicvibe.com/three-iconic-baseball-franchises-getting-the-comic-book-treatment/” title=”Three iconic baseball franchises getting the comic book treatment”>Comic Books discussed how American superheroes from Marvel and DC were changed in comics published in Arab, Asian, Latin American, and European countries, including Britain, at this year’s San Diego Comic Con. The panel is online here.
“There’s tons more of this material than what I can present today,” Alex noted, “But I think the point we’re trying to make clear is that the international readership’s experience of say Batman or Superman or Spider-Man could be unique and different from country or culture to culture. That is very different from those of us who grew up in America where we know Spider-Man is Peter Parker, Batman is Bruce Wayne and that’s it. Superman’s costume is always red and blue. You know, there’s no variation to it. But around the world, this material has been changed quite a bit.”
Alex also discussed Marvel’s international licensing deal with Transworld, and how it affected Marvel Corporate with Al Landau, Stan Lee, and Chip Goodman.
Alex Grand, who lives in Sacramento, California, is an internationally established comics historian, founder of the Comic Book Historians, and a regular panelist at Comic Con International: San Diego, Wonder Con, and San Diego ComicFest. He has been featured in comics-based documentaries, television, and radio programs and has appeared or been published in The Wall Street Journal, Hollywood Reporter, The Comics Journal, The Jack Kirby Collector and Alter Ego.
Published in 2023, Understanding Superhero Comic Books dissects the origin and growth of superhero comic books, their major influences, and the creators behind them. It demonstrates how Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain America and many more stand as time capsules of their eras, rising and falling with societal changes, and reflecting an amalgam of influences.
The book covers in detail the iconic superhero comic book creators and their unique contributions in their quest for realism, including Julius Schwartz and the science-fiction origins of superheroes; the collaborative design of the Marvel Universe by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and Steve Ditko; Jim Starlin’s incorporation of the death of superheroes in comic books; John Byrne and the revitalisation of superheroes in the modern age; and Alan Moore’s deconstruction of superheroes.
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who MagazineandOverkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
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